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Iron Duke
This article was written by PoNs3993. Therefore, it is within Pacific Rim: Uprising's canon timeline and ''has nothing to do with the Second Kaiju War. ''Please refrain from making edits or creating any separate page without the author's discretion. Iron Duke is the fourth mark VII jaeger, funded and owned by the United Kingdom. Designed as a successor to the mark V Ark Royal, it continues the British jaeger program's tradition of naming its assets after Royal Navy warships. Duke, like its namesake battleship, is designed for maximum reliability and survivability under the harshest conditions. Harrowing firepower stemming from an arsenal of heavy ordnance further exemplifies its connection to the World War 1 era dreadnought. Its militaristic aesthetic is complemented by dazzle camouflage paint, an integral aspect of RN warships during WW1. History Launch The third jaeger ordered by the United Kingdom, Iron Duke was named after Admiral Jellicoe's flagship during the Battle of Jutland. Multiple other names such as "Prince of Wales" and "Duke of York" were considered, but "Iron Duke" was eventually selected for its historical significance. Duke's launch was one of the most heavily publicized jaeger launches in PPDC history, with the King himself in attendance. A bottle of Whiskey was smashed on the jaeger's chestplate in traditional Royal Navy fashion, as the King christened it "Iron Duke." Duke was temporarily assigned to the Lima Shatterdome after launch; she was to be transferred to the Auckland Shatterdome after its completion. Auckland was slated to begin operations in July 2035. Testing On March 20, 2035, Iron Duke conducted its first training run near Acapulco, Mexico. Here, it set a new benchmark for reliability, with exactly zero faults found during testing. A simulated match-up against Titan Redeemer ended in a decisive victory for Duke, with the British jaeger scoring markedly higher in every department. This was in stark contrast to previous mark VII's, which were still suffering from teething problems at the time of Duke's trial run. Sydney Attack During the PPDC Council meeting in Sydney, Iron Duke was flown out to Auckland as potential back-up for Gipsy Avenger. However, it was unable to intercept the rogue jaeger "Obsidian Fury" before it made landfall. After Obsidian had decisively overpowered Gipsy Avenger and disappeared into the ocean, Iron Duke was one of seven jaegers deployed to give chase. It was ordered to refrain from using explosives as much as possible, as to provide J-Techs with something concrete to analyze. Duke attempted "crossing the T" off the coast of Hobart, and briefly engaged Obsidian in undersea combat. A salvo of Orca VI torpedoes from Duke were jammed by the rogue's EMP. Duke subsequently closed the distance and tackled Obsidian, hurling it into a cluster of coral. Obsidian attempted a chainsaw attack, which was neutralized as Duke crushed the saw with her left-hand KGV-77 Grinder. Duke then pinned Obsidian to the seabed, its right-hand Grinder locking into a seismic drill. As the British jaeger moved in for the kill, Obsidian fired a volley of missiles at a cruise ship nearby. Two struck home, and the ship began to sink rapidly. Obsidian fired nine more AKM missiles at Duke, all scoring direct hits. Duke's pilots had no choice but to save the stricken cruise ship, while Obsidian seemingly dissolved into the depths. Iron Duke returned to the Sydney Shatterdome with mere cosmetic damage; its armor had shrugged off all nine missiles with ease. Although the intercept was a failure, PPDC officials were impressed by the British jaeger's toughness and reliability. Not a single system had failed during the skirmish, and Duke had been seconds away from drilling a gaping hole right through Obsidian. 2035 "Uprising" After undergoing repairs in Sydney, Duke was flown back to Lima and resumed training exercises. It was on patrol when Shao Industries delivered ten drone jaegers to Lima. Duke could only watch, chest-deep in water, as all ten drones were mutated and began attacking the Shatterdome. LOCCENT was decimated within minutes, and Lima's four other jaegers followed in rapid succession. Only one drone was taken out, leaving Duke to face the other nine alone. Iron Duke's pilots had no choice but to engage at range, as their jaeger was too slow to make it to the Shatterdome on time. Their choice of armament was also limited, as the Polaris cruise missiles and LANCASTER grenade launchers had too much potential for collateral damage. Orca VI torpedoes couldn't be used against land-based targets, and the KGV-77 Grinders were only for melee combat. In the end, a barrage of Cormorant mortar missiles were launched into the atmosphere; these hurtled back down after a 30-second climb and struck down three drones. Two were pulverized instantly. The third was shredded shortly after by railgun fire. Two of the remaining six turned their attention to the approaching Duke. These drones slogged into the water, firing a volley of missiles at Duke. These hit Duke's densely armored chest, doing only superficial damage. The British jaeger unloaded a barrage of railgun fire, smacking one drone square in the chest and sending it crashing into the sea. The remaining drone and Duke closed distance rapidly, grappling with each other. An attempted strike for the conn-pod was caught by Duke's right-hand grinder; 150,000 psi of force snapped the drone's arm like a twig. As it screeched in pain, Duke's left-hand grinder ripped through the drone's chest. It was bisected at the hip with a sickening crunch. Before Duke could re-focus its attention to the Shatterdome, the drone which had crashed into the sea just minutes before came rocketing back up. It jumped onto Duke's chest, and began hacking at the jaeger's armor. Five missiles impacted near Duke's conn-pod at point-blank range, stunning her pilots. They recovered quickly and hurled the drone off, striking it down with railgun fire. The LANCASTER launchers rapidly pumped out grenades, all of which instantly neutralized the drone in a fiery inferno. Unknown to Duke's pilots, two more drones had dived into the water and were rapidly swimming towards them. Sensors picked them up just 500 meters away, with Duke responding with a salvo of six Orca VI torpedoes. The impact sent one drone flying 200 feet out of the water, Kaiju Blue spraying everywhere. The other drone evaded Duke's torpedoes, and rammed into the jaeger's left knee. Duke collapsed, with its left joint shield ravaged. Eight missile hits sent alarms blaring, as the drone clambered onto Duke's back and ripped off a railgun turret. Four more missiles detonated near the conn-pod; the drone used this moment to drag Duke underwater. Jaeger and drone fought for control, tumbling down the continental shelf. Duke managed to eventually toss the drone onto an underwater cliff, regaining her footing in the process. Both pilots, screaming the harshest British profanity, gripped the drone with both Grinders and smashed it repeatedly onto the sea floor. They shrugged off two more missile hits, arming the left-hand drill and impaling the drone's chest. An Orca VI torpedo decapitated it for good measure. When Iron Duke broke the surface twenty minutes later, the remaining two drones were opening a breach with chest-mounted beams. A colossal, serpentine kaiju could be seen slowly rising from the portal. Duke's vertical launch cells instantly spat out a trio of Polaris cruise missiles, followed by a volley of mortar missiles. The three cruise missiles hurtled through the air at Mach 3, slamming into their respective targets. Both drones were vaporized immediately, while the kaiju was merely injured. But split seconds later, a hailstorm of mortar missiles split its skull, pulping its brain and sending charred bone flying in every direction. With both drones annihilated, the breach rapidly closed. Duke's pilots watched on as the kaiju's carcass was slowly cleaved in half. Aftermath Although victorious, Iron Duke suffered crippling damage. 50% of her systems were offline, and armor was shattered in multiple places. Constant bludgeoning by missiles, most of them at point-blank range, resulted in devastating hull breaches. The conn-pod had also been repeatedly hit, its structural integrity now severely compromised. Both pilots suffered injuries, and were just barely able to limp back to shore before having to power down. All in all, Iron Duke's rather perilous state and the pilots' injuries rendered her unfit for participation in the battle of MegaTokyo. Duke's pilots subsequently requested extraction, and were rescued 6 hours later in good spirits; the rescue crew found them joking and munching on energy bars inside Duke's darkened conn-pod. Duke was the only mark VII jaeger to have survived the "Uprising." Saber Athena, Viscount Defender, Gothic Indomitable and Praetor Chimera were all unsalvageable, while Azrael Crucifix hadn't even been completed at the time of her destruction. Duke was repaired in the months after MegaTokyo, and was once again pushed into active duty. Both pilots received the Victoria Cross. Features Iron Duke is a perfect embodiment of her namesake, the WW1 RN battleship "Iron Duke." A towering mass of dense armor, Duke is built squat for maximum stability. Angular, multi-layered armor and a recessed conn-pod allow it to soak up tremendous amounts of damage while dealing back twice as much. Tedious high-endurance operations are possible thanks to its sophisticated fusion reactor and damage-control systems. Every bit of equipment Duke carries is designed with survivability in mind, whether that be self-sealing insulation or modular armor. Its arsenal is built around a diverse set of high-yield weapons, such as railguns, cruise missiles and torpedoes. Tri-pronged heavy metal grinders securely grasp a target while Duke unleashes hell with its heavy ordnance. Equipment Weapons Kaiju Killed